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We encourage both hands and mind in education

For too long (in the shadow of Plato), our education system is based on the distinction between "gold" (ie university) students, "money" (c . to technical) and bronze (ie the rest). In an Olympic year, where, in a sporting context, such distinctions may be important, we should, as pointed out last week writing, giving the Platonic self-fulfilling discrimination and to promote a new standard education / training that encourages and celebrates love with both hands and minds on learning by doing ("We must educate, not only in school, young people").

Professor Colin Richards

Spark Bridge

Cumbria

"self-confidence, adaptability, resilience, determination. These skills are golden," you say, their leader. Or perhaps - but the skills? Things are really that can be trained, like changing a tire or make joint development of writing? Are not the qualities of character, rather, and almost the opposite of competence, to un-trainable? You can try to instill those qualities, but which is so different to train a skill like chalk mining cheese. All the sub-skills that are the jurisdiction can not be on the list, or the order they should be taught. Even if the inculcation seems to work, in this case or that, you have no idea why or how, reliably, to get to do again.

And even if these things were skills, teach them why the goal of schools and universities (unlike, for example, Sandhurst and the Army Cadet Force)? It is so easy (or difficult) to be determined in a bad cause well. Which showed more determination than Hitler? Mao or Pol Pot, perhaps. These qualities can help organizations or savings to survive and prosper, but not the skills and the inculcation of them is not an aim of education.

D Maskell

Corbridge

Northumberland

Although the importance of vocational training courses should be recognized, rigorous academic qualifications also have a role to undo the damage caused an implacable regime Gave young minds. Tests such as the Awareness Project, which was a pioneer in my school, and have succeeded in preparing students for college and beyond. By participating in discussions at the seminar, covering subjects such as science, philosophy and ethics issues and research become thesis, students take the course earn a valuable ability to think for themselves. Use of virtual platforms developed specifically for the extension project called "areas of philosophy", which are also learning to take advantage of online technologies and interact with the tools of tomorrow. Only a patchwork of approaches education can equip the next generation for future challenges.

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